The May 14 meeting at Camp David between President Obama and top Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) officials was a historic opportunity for the United States to upgrade its security commitments to Gulf partners and to reassure them that a potential nuclear deal with Iran would not come at the expense of collective interests. Although US commitments fell short of a formal defense treaty, Camp David was tacitly deemed a success by US and Gulf officials, laying the groundwork for stronger multilateral cooperation, including assistance with a regional program to defend against Iranian missiles, increased collaboration on maritime security, and more joint training exercises. Assistant Secretary General of the GCC Abdel Aziz Abu Hamad Aluwaisheg said at a news conference on May 15 that the summit "exceeded the expectations of most of us" by reassuring GCC states of an "unequivocal" commitment to their security.

Two free-trade agreements currently being negotiated by the Obama administration will ensure a level playing field and benefit American workers, a senior White House official said April 23 at the Atlantic Council.

US Secretary of State John F. Kerry delivered a strong pitch for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) April 23, saying the economic case for both deals is "overwhelming."

On April 17, the Atlantic Council welcomed the People's Republic of China's Vice Minister of Finance, Zhu Guangyao, for an address on "China's Vision for a More Prosperous Asia-Pacific Region.” This event was hosted as part of the council’s Project on Shaping the Asia-Pacific Future, housed in the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, and provided a great deal of insight into China’s perspective on regional development, and the motivations behind recent initiatives like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

The Atlantic Council will host a conversation with European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, former Prime Minister of Latvia, on April 16, 2015 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on the occasion of his first visit to the United States in his current role.

Policymakers must work together to avoid the risk of a “new mediocre”—a protracted period of low growth—becoming the “new reality,” International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said at the Atlantic Council April 9.

“The ‘new mediocre’ growth environment is not a comfortable place with respect to financial stability,” she said.

Lagarde described the global economic recovery as “moderate and uneven.”

“In too many parts of the world it is not strong enough. In too many parts of the world, people do not feel it enough,” Lagarde said of the global economic recovery. “In addition, financial and geopolitical risks have increased.”

In advanced and emerging economies, potential growth is being pared down—a reflection of the “lasting scars from the financial crisis, but also the undercurrents of changing demographics and lower productivity,” she added.

Lagarde used her address to renew her call to the US Congress to ratify the IMF’s 2010 quota and governance reforms, which the Fund agreed to in December 2010. She also came out strongly in support of China’s new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and said greater cooperation with it would help “reinforce” the international monetary system.

Unlike many of its neighbors, Morocco has experienced few terror attacks in recent years and remains a bastion of stability and prosperity in a turbulent region. In fact, Morocco’s programs to combat the root causes of terrorism are hailed as some of the most innovative and successful in the region.

Russian-backed separatists are planning a fresh offensive in eastern Ukraine that could come within a matter of months, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, warned at an Altantic Council forum on March 30, 2015.

"What is happening now is preparations for a renewed offensive from the east," and this could take place following Orthodox Easter, on April 12, and "most probably" before VE Day on May 8, Clark said, citing multiple local sources he spoke with on a recent fact-finding mission to Ukraine.

On March 25, the Atlantic Council and the United States Institute of Peace co-hosted Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani for a conversation on the future of Afghanistan and US engagement in the country. President Ghani provided an optimistic outlook, highlighting the prospects of peace with the Taliban and improved regional connectivity. President Ghani visited DC in late March.